Boris Johnson: mayoring it in Mitcham

Mayor Johnson sealed a time capsule this morning. It will be entombed in the environs of Britain's first "intergenerational centre", a community facility in Mitcham scheduled to open early next year. He was the right man for the job, thanks to the impression he often gives of having emerged from a time capsule himself; one buried, perhaps, at the height of Victorian commercial and philanthropic enterprise.

I would later raise this theme with him. But first, having delivered one of his many rebukes to the dark, oppressive forces of health and safety, he removed his - let's be fair - entirely pointless hard hat and batted away questions about the RAC Foundation's criticisms of his roads strategy.

Though polite about the report in general he told the BBC that its call for a London-wide road-pricing regime was "perverse" and then told London Tonight it was "odd". He doubted that most RAC members would favour it, any more than suburban Londoners would welcome the "swingeing new taxes" such a move would impose. He added that he was doing a great deal to look after motorists, an assertion with which his critics would agree.

Then it was my turn. I had three questions and warned him that two of them were trick ones, though I cunningly didn't reveal which ones they were. Question one was about the New Routemaster, which the RAC report took issue with on grounds of cost. I confessed my confusion over Boris's saying at September MQTs that the development costs of the vehicle would be "borne largely by the industry," when a written answer in July had said that TfL would stump up three million quid.

"I'm sorry for the confusion, Dave," he said. "The basic answer is the one I gave in MQT. But I'll have to get back to you." He went on: "I imagine there will be some small development costs which we may be sharing. But basically the bus is going to be, ah, brought forward by the private manufacturers who have an interest in it."

He went on to urge green Guardian readers to support his green, clean, coming new machine. And let me here reiterate my view that if the New Routemaster turns out to be all he promises and Londoners love it, then history will judge him the winner of this debate. But I think he would be wise to get his numbers straight. Imagine the headlines: Boris (Still) Doesn't Know Cost Of Own Bus, Shock!

Anyway, question two: congestion charging. Did he recall intimating to me last December that his preferred outcome to his WEZ consultation would have been the so-called "Option 3" of keeping the WEZ in a modified form? In an ideal world would he still prefer Option 3?

"There was a very clear policy at the time of the election," he began, then broke off and observed with a chuckle, "Politicians always say there's a very clear policy and then there's some massive fudge!" He resumed: "But it was a clear policy that we would consult. It was a point of democracy. People were angry because they hadn't been properly consulted." He added that as far as he was concerned, "the people of London have expressed their view."

And so to question three: would he name the period in British history he thought had best showcased the Conservative values of enterprise, liberty and so on? "That time is now, Dave," he said. "That time is now. What did you want me to say?" I told him the 1980s, which was actually wind-up and a lie. I'd actually thought he'd pick something 19th century. What he said was: "I'm a complete Whig. I believe in progress."

Reader, write that down and remember it.

And now it was time to make our way to the newly refurbished Pollard's Hill library, where Mayor Johnson would meet a man wearing a gold chain and sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. This visit may seem uncontroversial, but it had already provoked comment from local Labour Councillor Martin Whelton. I shall return to this matter tomorrow.